


Flare Veil

by Centurion_Titus



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 21:14:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12466052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centurion_Titus/pseuds/Centurion_Titus





	Flare Veil

It was a bright and sunny day and a boy sat on a bench staring at the cathedral. Every now and then he would click his fingers and a spark would appear for the briefest of moments. The boy didn't have many friends and so this was his way to pass time, just sit and click his fingers.

The cathedral close may have been busy with tourists, but none noticed the boy making sparks. It was a skill that the boy possessed, the ability to blend into the background and so that was how he would survive each school day. 

It was a sixth sense, that seem to notify the boy he was being watched. He stopped the clicking of his fingers and looked around. It was at that point he saw the pretty young blonde woman watching him through her sunglasses. The woman was dressed for the hot weather in some very short shorts and a vest top. Even at a distance the boy could tell she worked out for her legs and arms were well toned. 

The boy broke off his stare stood up to leave, but suddenly found the sunlight blocked by the women. 

“Before you ask any questions, I suggest you don't do any more magic in front of mortals. I take it you know very little about magic otherwise you wouldn't be doing here in a public place.”

“What?! You mean this little trick I can do is magic. There is no such thing as magic. Magic is a lie, it is only smoke and mirrors.”

“Listen, that is mortal magic you speak of. What we can do is real magic. You didn't learn how to generate a spark, you could just suddenly do it. There are two types of sorcerers, Elementals and Adepts. The magic you are doing is elemental magic, which is the control of fire,water, air and earth. Adepts are different. By different, I mean they can do pretty much anything from throwing energy to creating shields. You name it and there is probably a sorcerer who can do it.”

“What are you on about? Elementals and Adepts. What I can do is a party trick. If there is magic then doing something to prove it.”

“Fine, I will show you what I can do.” With that the women's am seem to disappear and in the other hand a ball of lightening appeared.

The boy looked astonished, his mouth hung open. “Um...your arm isn't there any more. Where is it? Don't say you can turn invisible?” 

“In a way I can turn invisible, but my power is more like a chameleon's. When I wish to, I can blend into the background. If there is a pink car, I can turn myself pink to blend in. As you could also see, Adepts can often do two things. I can blend in as well as create these balls of lightening which are handy in case I get into a scuffle.”

The boy continued to stare at the ball of lightening and the missing arm and even started to reach out to touch the lightening.

“Whoah, kid! I wouldn't touch that if I were you, it will hurt and I mean hurt. Oh my god! I'm so sorry, all this time I have been lecturing you on magic, I haven't even told you my name. My name is Flare Veil. Well my taken name is that. By taking a name it stops others have control over you and before you tell me yours I don't want to know it. You need to come up with a name that suits you. Now you need to follow me for you need to talk to some other people. These people can help you.”  
Flare stood up and began to walk away and the boy followed after managing to compose himself. He had to run slightly to catch up, but soon fell into step with Flare. They soon left the cathedral close behind them and headed towards the centre of the town. 

“Um, excuse me for asking, but where exactly are we going.” asked the boy.

“We are going to the Sanctuary,”said Flare, “Well not the actual Sanctuary, but a Sanctuary outpost here in this little town. It helps us to get agents out to lots of places quickly. You probably walked past this place hundreds of times but you never noticed it.”

After taking a series of back streets, they soon arrived at an old, tatty looking building. Flare walked up to the door and turned the handle to the right. The boy followed her in and found himself in a large oval atrium. All around stood figures in grey coats with scythes over their backs. 

Doors led off from the atrium, but they were all firmly shut. As the boy continued to stare at the room, Flare broke of her conversation with a man who looked to be in his middle age and walked over.

“What do you think of this place? Amazing I know. I just sent a message to my superior, so follow me.”

Before the boy could ask any questions, Flare strode off and held open another door for him. He followed on and after a short while found himself in an office facing a man, Duke Stone, with short black hair and piercing ice blue eyes. 

“Thank you Detective Veil for bringing the boy here and I believe you have other matters to attend to. A certain well known killer springs to mind.”

As Duke began to explain the details to the boy and all that would entail, Flare spun on her heel and shut the heavy oak door behind her. The sound of her shoes echoed in the quiet hallway. 

She strode to her desk and cleared the keyboard of all the paperwork and continued her investigation into the Melody Boon, the killer who had been rampaging across England for months. 

“C'mon! C'mon! Give me something!” Flare whispered to herself.

It was at that moment her computer pinged with a new email, which was flagged as urgent. Flare looked up and clicked it open. The email had an image attached and a short message:

“Image taken only twenty minutes ago. Target still in area.”

There sat Melody Boon sat casually drinking a cup of coffee. Leaping to her feet, Flare knocked over the stack of paperwork on her desk and ran for the main door all the while on the phone organising Cleaver back up. 

Flare went flying through the main door and out on to the street. Heels flying she began to run for the coffee shop and it was at that moment Flare wished she was wearing trainers rather than plimsolls.

Five minutes later, Flare stood breathlessly across the street from the coffee shop. Boon was still there but she was watching a young mother and her child. It was clear who Boon was after, Boon had been killing young mothers to ruin the lives of their children.  
From what Flare had dug up on Boon's past her mother had been killed by a mortal whilst she was young and so her hatred of mortals and mothers had begun. 

The mother stood up, dropped a few coins on the table and began to walk away with her child in a push chair. At the same time Boon stood up and followed. Flare still lacked the back up but she had to stop the next murder. 

She drew on her magic and blended into the background and began to follow Boon and the mother. It wasn't long before the mother took a quiet side street and as expected Boon followed. 

Flare rounded the corner in time to see Boon using the air to pin the woman to the side of a shop and walking towards her with a long knife. Boon still had her back to the entrance to the street and didn't realise Flare had arrived who had fazed back into being seen. Flare couldn't be fully cloaked and wield her lightening. 

Increasing the size of the ball of lightening, Flare prepared to throw it at Boon's back, but by this time Boon held the knife to the throat of the petrified woman. Boon prepared to slit her throat, but at the last moment noticed Flare in the eyes of the women. In a flash Boon spun on her heel and throw a fireball at Flare.

Flare dived out of the way, the fireball flying out of the side street and into a building. Looking up, Flare saw a foot come flying at her face and she was knocked backwards, lights dancing before her eyes.

Flare staggered to her feet and managed to dodge the the swipe of the knife. Again and again the knife swiped and stabbed at her, but every time Flare managed to avoid the strike. Boon went to stab Flare in the stomach and so Flare caught the wrist and twisted it. A struggle soon erupted as the two women fought for the control of the knife. 

Boon's attention was on the knife and was caught unaware as Flare kicked her in between the legs. Her eyes widened in pain and a gasp left her mouth and it was at this moment Flare seized the knife. She tossed it behind her and summoned two balls of lightening.

She threw one straight at Boon, who feebly tried to use the air to deflect it, but it hit her directly in the chest. Boon shuddered with the impact as lightening surged through her body. Boon fell to her knees, still shaking from the blow she had just taken.

Flare walked forwards and tossed a pair of shackles at Boon.

“Put these on now or would you like another jolt.”

Boon clamped the shackles on her wrists and felt her power dampen at once. It was at this point a van screeched to halt at the end of the road and a squad of Cleavers leapt out and hurried towards the pair.

A small man with a bright blue goaty followed behind them and began to talk to the woman. His job to convince her nothing had ever happened. 

The Cleavers hauled Boon past Flare and into the van. At this moment, her phone rang and Flare answered it.

“Well done Detective Veil. A job well done.” Came the voice of Duke. “Get back here and head to the medical room for a check over. As soon as the all clear is given there is a new case waiting on your desk.”

“Yes sir, right away”

The line went dead and Flare walked back towards the waiting van.


End file.
